One cable reveals how the London embassy passed on intelligence about a British Labour minister, apparently picked up from civil servant contacts, saying he "reportedly remains a bit of a hound dog where women are concerned".

The minister, whose name the Guardian is withholding, was "forced to apologize … to a female … who accused him of sexual harassment … and has had marital troubles in the last few years".

The confidential dispatch continued: "Contacts who know him well report he has manic depressive tendencies – 'he's very up one minute, very down the next', and at least one … colleague has described xxx as a 'bully'."

The head of the office of intelligence operations cabled back, saying: "Washington analysts appreciate the excellent background and biographic reporting." They found "particularly insightful and timely" the material about the minister's "bullying, possible depression and scandals, as well as comments on the state of his marriage".

The cable continued: "We would greatly appreciate additional information, especially regarding how xxx works with [other ministers and officials], assessments of xxx's performance in office, and information on his political goals."